9/19/2005

Bush's overall job approval number was 40 percent, with 58 percent of those surveyed telling pollsters they disapproved of his performance in office. It is the second time his approval rating has hit that low a mark.

His personal qualities hit fresh lows: Only 49 percent called him a strong and decisive leader, down from 54 percent in July and 51 percent in August. Just 42 percent said he cares about people like themselves, and 47 percent called him honest and trustworthy.

By contrast, 51 percent did not consider him strong and decisive, 50 percent would not call him honest and 56 percent said he didn't care about people like them.

Other recent polling (here and here) indicates that much of the President's drop is coming from conservatives within the Republican Party unhappy with the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. If this is indeed the case -- that Republicans are finally beginning to have qualms about the President -- Bush might soon fall into the 30s in Gallup and perhaps the low 30s in some of the other reputable polls.

Update [2005-9-19 16:39:45 by bassjhs]: Other key findings from the poll include:

* Only 32 percent approve of the President's management of the situation in Iraq, while 67 disapprove. Fifty nine percent say the war was a mistake and 63 percent want to see some or all troops withdrawn from the country.
* Just 25 percent have "great confidence" in the administration's ability to rebuild New Orleans, though 50 percent are concerned the federal government will spend to much in the reconstruction effort.